Roses and Thorns
by bookworm97
Summary: Ha! Who wants to play the helpless maiden? not Briar Rose, thats for certain. But when she gets older, she realizes that thats the part she might have to play... this is the story of sleeping beauty, but with a few twists and turns along the way.
1. the Beginning

Once upon a time, in a land very far from here, there lived a king.

He was one of the best kings that had ever reigned, being wise, just, intelligent, and let's not forget, handsome. But he was sad at heart, for he could not find a woman who would love him for who he was, and not his title. All of the girls who he had met from the royal court were very beautiful, and delicate, but stuck up and spoiled.

After a while, he began to tire of the palace life. He left the kingdom in charge of his most trusted friends for a while. He told them not to worry, that he would be back soon. But if he was not to return after 18 months, then they were to assume that he had died, or wasn't going to return. He hid his crown within his knapsack and walked out of the castle, trading his rich clothes for poor ones, and his title and name for that of William, and trotted down the palace steps, leaving behind him his palace life, ready for it to be collected again when he came back.

He walked through his kingdom, the crown in his knapsack reminding him who he was and of his duties, but the absence of its weight on his head letting him forget.

He met many people, saw many faces, and learned a great many things that his palace life would have restricted him from. He looked upon a great many sights which he had never thought he would ever look upon.

It was a time which he wished would never end. But alas, the 18 months passed quickly, and before he knew it, he had to return to his old life.

He was the same king as before, still wise, intelligent and just, but the sparkle in him was not as constant as it had been. Once in a while he would get a pained look in his eye, and cease smiling. Sometimes he would laugh out loud for no reason and smile at people he could see only in his memories. Often he would say to people "I don't hate you." Although the people he was talking too could see that he wasn't really talking to them.

For while he was away on his quest to find himself, he also discovered that love finds us where we least expect it. But the thing about love is that it is built on trust. And when you are masquerading as someone else, you're not being you.

His behaviour continued for several months, until he realized that it had been two years since the beginning of his quest.

He decided to put it behind him and focus on the future ahead. A week after his decision, she turned up at the palace door. Much to the much to the general annoyance of the palace guards, and to everyone else around the palace, he welcomed her, and defended her.

The months passed slowly, almost treacle-like. But every one could see that his love for her deepened every day so they were happy for him when he finally married her.

The kingdom was for the marriage too, since their king had truly returned when she came to him. He might have been at the palace in body, but everyone could tell that his heart was always with her. And in time they came to love her as much as he did, since not only was she beautiful, with bronze hair, and her leafy green eyes, but she was also courageous, and she would protect what she loved no matter what the cost.

But alas, for the one thing they truly wanted, was a child.

And the one thing the queen could not give, though she tried, was a child.

Finally, after many long months, they were granted the thing they wished for the most.

A beautiful baby girl with red hair from her mother and blue eyes from her father. She was lovely, but in many ways rather dark. She seemed to give off an aura of darkness, and dark magic, although no one could figure out why. The queen and the king never seemed to notice, although more than once they would say something along the lines of "it's only to be expected".

But even if they pretended not to see it, it was still there, so they called her Briar Rose, after the flower which, although so very beautiful, still possessed thorns. Beautiful yet terrible, all at the same time.

And it is here that my story begins.


	2. Of Icing and Curses

Hello again! And I would just like to say, that I want to give a warm hug to my single reviewer. PsyKnight, i thank you! And please people, I beg of you, please please review! Your reviews tell me what I should improve on, and what you think the story should have more of.

Animestar73, I would like to give you a very large thank you and a large hug, because you, are my wonderful beta reader! This story would have a spelling/grammar related mistake every other line if not for you! So, THANK YOU!

Hope you enjoy my story! if not review and tell me what you think could have been better.

Um… beware. This chapter has a rather low point somewhere near the middle, involving some icing and a curse. Just to let you know.

Disclaimer: I do not own the story sleeping beauty

She was a beautiful child, full of energy, of curiosity, and she seemed to be very stubborn – very much so for a person only one years of age! But the one thing that unnerved the king and queen was the fact that she never cried. Not once. But the queen could tell if she was sad, for when she was sad, although she did not cry, her eyes got this very sad, hurt look inside them.

But she laughed. Oh, how she laughed! This beautiful noise, that could seemingly light up the darkest hallway and make everyone around her, no matter what mood they were in, smile.

After two moons, the king and queen decided to hold a celebration in honour of the princess.

It would be held in a months' time, 3 days after the full moon had passed and it would be the social event of the century.

"Luke!"

The queen sped down the plush hallways calling the name of her husband.

"Luke!"

She turned a corner, nearly running in to a passing butler, and she saw him, almost completely hidden behind a large vase of flowers

"Luke! There you are! I've been looking all over for you! And what are you doing hiding behind that vase?"

She tried to move to get a better view but there was an oversized sunflower obscuring his face from her.

Then he stepped out from behind the vase to reveal-

"Myles?"

He smiled, something he did not do often, but the smile made you feel that even if he was to smile constantly it would not be often enough.

"Yes, your highness?"

"Would you happen to know where Luke is?"

He thought for a moment before saying "Yes. I do believe that his majesty decided to take a stroll around the grounds"

She smiled gratefully. "Thank you so much! You know, your gift of knowing exactly where everyone is at any given time is very useful! What I wouldn't give to have one such like it."

He gave her another sunny smile.

"'Tis a gift, your highness. I was born with it."

She looked into his eyes.

"What I wouldn't give to have a gift like that", She repeated, but this time with deep sincerity.

"No you wouldn't. Some times a gift can prove to be a curse, just as sometimes a curse can be a blessing"

And before she could ask what he meant by that, he hurried away. She stared after him wondering what he could have meant, but soon gave up, since finding any logic within the some of the things he says was always impossible.

Nether the less, she decided to heed his words, and went out into the grounds of the palace. They were beautiful this time of year. There was lavender all over, a flower that the queen requested, since they were her favourite flower, and they filled the air with fragrance. She loved the colour purple. It seemed to her to be so many things at once, mysterious and dark, yet happy and cheerful, and, in some strange way, seemed to be a very open flower. Almost as though they were listening and heard every word, sympathizing with you, and brightening your day with colour and scent, making you feel warm and loved.

She found him at the other end of the garden, inhaling the sweet scent of the roses they kept, and trying to teach his daughter the reason why roses should not be touched.

"You see, my little one, they have these really sharp thorns on the side, that sting you when you- ow! Stupid thorn! Sh-"

"Language!" snapped the queen.

The king turned round, with a guilty look on his face

"Oh. Hi Mela!"

The queen's actual name was Melanthe, but she hated the name with a passion, so she asked for everyone to call her Mela.

"Luke! You know how young she is! At her age, their brains are susceptible to everything! And they remember everything too" she added in a dark whisper.

"What? I'll have you know, that the word I was going to use was 'sugar'!"

She eyed him suspiciously

"Uh huh."

"You sound unimpressed. So, what was it that you wanted to say to me?"

She gave him another look, this one saying 'I'll get you back for this one day. Just when you least expect it' and just as he began to contemplate what kind of torture she could inflict on him, she spoke up.

"The caterers have refused to serve their sponge cake in the great hall. They think it's cursed and that its 'cursed' atmosphere will completely spoil the icing"

Luke gave her a strange look

"They said that? And you didn't do anything to try to persuade them otherwise?"

Noticing the look on her face he backed away slowly, thanking silently that looks could not kill, and being horribly aware that if looks were daggers, he would have been pinned to the opposite wall.

"I tried. But they are _convinced_ that the place is cursed."

"Wow."

He looked thoughtful for a moment, then said

"You know, I do believe that that is one of the best excuses I have heard in a long time."

"Excuse? What would they make up an excuse like that?"

"Because they want to serve the cake outside. They must have realised that having lavender in a garden can really open up some lovely colour combinations. They must have made a cake that looks nice with a backdrop of purple and green"

"Oh great. Now my caterers have double lives as interior decorators."

"No. Shouldn't think so. More like _exterior _decorators. And besides, not many nice colours look good in front of a mustard yellow wall."

She grimaced. She hated the wall colour in the great hall, and had tried, unsuccessfully, on several occasions, to have the wall colour changed. She could see why the caterers/decorators hated the room colour and would rather serve the cake outside.

"You see? Some one other than me hates the wall colour."

"Uh huh. Well, that wall was painted mustard yellow by my father, and by his father, and his father before that. Although I will give you that the colour isn't something I wouldn't be buried in, it is also a tradition! A tradition that I shall uphold! And I do not intend to forsake it!"

He stared at her, with a look of defiance on his face. Mela stared open mouthed at him. That was an impressive speech. And about a wall colour, no less! She blinked.

"So…"

She looked at him again. That was a hard speech to top!

"About the caterers… what should we do?"

"Oh, just let them have their way. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"

"Let me see… one of our guests could turn out to be fatally allergic to one of the ingredients in the cake , some one could faint and leave a stain on our plush carpet, one of the caterers could-"

"Yes, yes." said Luke hurriedly. He really didn't need a list. "But in a realistic way, what could go wrong?"

"That was in a realistic way. But if you want, I can do unrealistic."

"No, no, its fine! But we should start to prepare. I mean, the feast is in 3 days! And I have a baby girl to keep entertained until then. So, until tonight?"

She smiled

"Yes. Until tonight"

okay people! that is chapter two!

so now, review!!! and i will give out candy floss and hugs to those who do. okay. maybe not candy floss, but just imagine that i will, okay people?

please review!


	3. The Ball: Part 1

Hello, and welcome to the third chapter of roses and thorns! And i know what your thinking. Your thinking 'finally!' And i have to say, i agree. I'm sorry i took so long, but i have to say that my brain hit a road block. a big one that took me, i believe, two months to get around, so my sincerest apologies.

But first, shout outs!

I would like to give thanks to these people:

Thai Libre: Thank you for reviewing, and thank you ever so much for adding my story to your alerts. I have to say, you were the first person to do that, so thank you, and a very big hug from me. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

SunGold16: Thank you for the review and for the tips! I'm always looking to improve my stories and i tried to keep your review in mind as i wrote this chapter, so many thanks.

Animestar73: My friend and my beta! thank you so much! Without you, there would be a great deal more 'btu' in the story, so thank you ever so much!

but before we start, a quick trivia!

which book/ movie is this from?

" You like animals do you?" he said. "I have a report here that says you mailed Sir Georges dog to the ceiling."

"Couldn't have it barking while i was working, sir."

"Some people would have drugged it."

"Oh."

If you can guess where that is from, you get a brownie! And now, on with the tale!

* * *

It was midnight at the palace. The moon was a ghostly pale in the dark, cloudless sky. Its soft light caught the pond's tranquil surface, illuminating the surrounding garden, giving it a beautiful glow. Even the castle itself seemed to glow under the pale light.

Suddenly a loud crash was heard from inside, startling the ducks on the surface of the pond

Ah, yes. Did I forget to mention that the inside of said palace was pure chaos?

And the Queen loved it.

She had grown up alongside several siblings and loved organized chaos. Luke, on the other hand, was panicking.

"No! Fruit punch is not for anyone under the age of 18!" He yelled frantically.

He glared at the two 9 year olds, who hastily put down their cups and backed cautiously away from the drinks table.

Looking around wildly, he finally spotted Mela with Briar Rose at the other end of the garden.

"Mela! There you are! The entire palace is in disarray! This is not a party! Its organized chaos!" He spoke, his voice almost hysterical.

"I know!" said the queen happily looking almost proudly at the afore mentioned 'organized chaos'.

"Look, it's almost time for dessert! And then… we get to cut the cake!" she looked at him, her happiness simply radiating off her, and suddenly the king found he could put up with the organized chaos.

"Yes. I expect you want to go see if the cook is prepared?" He asked with a defeated sigh.

"Oh, yes! I'll see you in a minute!" she grinned happily, and half-walked half-skipped to the kitchens.

"You know, I don't think I've seen her so happy in a _long _time." He grumbled to himself, and went off to inspect the damage.

Mela was resisting the urge to sample some of the delicious frosty, creamy-looking ice cream on the cake.

The cake itself was a work of art and so far, Mela had been able to resist temptation only by fear of ruining such a work of beauty. It was 5 feet tall, covered in white icing, and decorated with green, yellow, blue and purple flowers. It was a marvel. An 8th wonder of the world.

And…

It was hers.

She reached one porcelain finger towards the cake

_One tiny taste wouldn't hurt. No one would notice. And, after all, the cake is mine._

_**No. **_said some hidden part of her brain that rarely showed it self, but when it did, it ruled out the rest of her thoughts.

_**It belongs to Rose. It is her party, and so, this is her cake. **_

_Fine._ She grumbled. _But next party, I get to sample the icing._

_**That is alright. The next party will not be Rose's.**_

_Hmm… _she wondered _will it be mine?_

_**No **_said the voice in one last resounding whisper, and faded away, leaving her to ponder the full meaning of what had been said. She was just starting to get into her thoughts, when they were interrupted,

"Your Majesty, good evening" An all too familiar voice spoke behind her.

Mentally, Mela swore.

"Hello, Cookie!" she said, a smile plastered to her face

Cookie was a cook in the kitchen, and had nothing else all his life, hence the nickname Cookie. Nobody else knew his real name, and Mela had a feeling that even his closest friends called his Cookie.

Cookie was a cook in the kitchen, and had nothing else all his life, hence the nickname Cookie. Nobody else knew his real name, and Mela had a feeling that even his closest friends called his Cookie. Every time he spoke to her, she felt really uncomfortable, and for two days of so after their encounter, all of her dreams would be haunted by his face. She had often wished for him to give her a reason to sack him, but he never did and besides, what kind of reason was that to hate someone? Just because they gave you the creeps, and the distinct impression they were about to go for your neck.

"So you like my cake, yes?" he continued, his brown eyes looking intently at her

"Yes. I like it very much. Now if you excuse me, there's somewhere I have to be." She said hastily, rushing to be polite but firm. She wasn't _really_ lying, in the sense of the word, but he didn't really need to know that.

And with that, she quickly left the room, walking so fast that she was two steps from running. As she turned a corner she nearly collided with Luke, who was going the opposite direction.

"I was just looking for you!" they both said together.

Luke looked at Mela. "You were? Why?"

"I was about to ask you the same question. I was just in the kitchen when I ran in to Cookie."

"Oh." The king knew all about her hatred towards Cookie.

"Well, I was wondering where you were, so I went to look for you. They're about to bring out the cake! And I left Rose with Myles." He added, seeing how she was about to ask.

"Then let us go before he gets overwhelmed by overeager relatives!" She said, pitying Myles for being left like a fish among piranhas.

Luke's face fell, "Do we have to?" He whined, putting Mela slightly in mind of a small child.

"What, and leave Rose and Myles to fend for themselves?"

"Well, I guess not," Said Luke reluctantly. Mela could see that he was unwilling to go back and face his mother in law. They had hated each other since they had first laid eyes on each other, but Mela had insisted that they at least _pretend_ to get along for her sake.

"Well then, should we not get going? I know you don't feel like facing my mother again, but at least _try_ to be civil to her?" she said, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

Luke opened his mouth and then shut it, searching for something to say but not finding anything.

"Fine," he said at last, "But only if she keeps a civil tongue in her mouth." He added, as if trying to make up for giving in so quickly.

She smiled. "I knew you'd come around! Now let us go! I've seen the cake – it's beautiful. I want to be there when they wheel it up!" and with that she started to walk briskly down the hall, then she turned. "Are you coming?" she asked, one eyebrow cocked.

Luke nodded and followed reluctantly towards the great hall.

* * *

Okay people, please review!

I love knowing what you think about my stories! please review!


	4. The Ball: Part 2

Hello people!

This is chapter four...

Hopefully, i will have chapter 5 up within a week or so, cuz it's already written, it just has to be beta'ed.

'Kay, so, enjoy!

* * *

The cake was marvellous. It was a thing of beauty and it stood at the center of attention in the middle of the great hall. Around twenty minutes ago, it had started to rain, so they had just decided to serve it inside, instead. For some reason, Mela felt very satisfied about that, almost as though she had won some battle against the cooks.

"So, you want to cut the cake, or should I?" Asked Luke, not taking his eyes off the masterpiece of a cake in the middle of the room.

"You know, I think we should cut it together." Came the reply. Luke turned to face her just in time to see her smile, and watched her face light up as she did so.

"Not a bad idea."

"Well, if I may-" but whatever Mela would have said was lost as she trailed off, watching the pitch black windows of the room with her eyes wide.

"What is it?" asked Luke, looking anxiously at the window too, but unable to see anything.

"I think it's _her_" her voice was a mere whisper but Luke heard it clearly.

"_Her_?" It took a moment for him to comprehend what she was saying, before it sunk in.

"Oh." He went pale, suddenly understanding of his wife's behaviour.

"I think she-" but she stopped for the second time and as the colour in her face drained away, "Oh, no." she breathed.

There was a tinkle of breaking glass, and then, as one, every torch in the castle blew out and the doors to the great hall slammed shut. Then came the wind, blowing through the windows, breaking them and blowing the curtains almost horizontal. The room seemed to darken as the dark night itself blew through, smothering what little moonlight still showed. The only light now was an eerie blue glow which came from everywhere and nowhere, making the rooms occupants look like ghosts under its pale light. The very air seemed to be frozen.

Mela grabbed Rose and hugged her to her chest, tying to shield her from the evil that was happening around her. The sound of soft laughter echoed loudly around the hall.

"Do you think you can shelter her from me for long? Did you really think I would let your arrogance go unpunished?"

The voice filled every corner of the room, beautiful, melodic and enticing but growing steadily angrier by the second. In the middle of the room a shape was beginning to emerge from among the darkness.

"Did you think that after what I did for you, you could pretend I didn't exist? I gave you life! I gave you the child you always wanted! And this is how you repay me!?" The ominous voice boomed around the room

The shape was now visible as a woman in a flowing black dress. Raw magic emanated from her, and filled the room up with a powerful darkness, stifling what little moonlight filtered through. Her eyes appeared to be closed, but you could see a faint light coming from beneath her eyelids.

"Couldn't be bothered to invite me?" she said in a dangerously calm voice, contrasting her anger only moments ago.

"Did I just momentarily slip your mind?" her voice had an edge to it that had not been present before, "Was I not worthy of you parchment? Did you not want to waste paper on me? The woman who gave you your child? Me! But no matter. I shall exact my punishment on you."

Mela, still cradling her Briar Rose to her chest, looked up with fear and shock. She trembled visably as she looked the woman in the eye.

"Don't hurt her. Please," the Queen's voice was barely a whisper but it carried across the silent hall to be met by laughter.

"Don't hurt her? Why ever not?" she sneered, "I brought her to this world; I find it fitting that I should be the one to take her out of it!" her laugher echoed around the hall once more.

"No!"

A new voice rang across the hall and every one looked for its owner. Myles was striding across the hall, his eyes filled with fury.

"No. The fault is the Queen's and no others, so do not take out your anger on Rose. She has nothing to do with this!"

The woman looked at him, opening her eyes to reveal two black holes. A strange light emitted from them and every one behind Myles shrank back under her glare. Myles, however, stood his ground

"Who dares challenge me?" she raged and then smiled as though amused.

"Ah. I should have known. Well I am sorry to say this, but my curse has been woven already. She will die on her twentieth birthday." Her laughter echoed around the cavern once more and she began to slowly disappear and as she went, she spoke quietly, so that only Myles could hear, "We shall meet again, dear brother."

"You are not my family anymore." He breathed, his face pale but his eyes burning with anger.

"You can not deny your blood, dear brother." She whispered back, and on that final dramatic note, she vanished, leaving only a wisp of black smoke in her wake.

The Queen's sobbing could be heard clearly in the now silent hall. Luke walked to her and put his arms around her and stroking Rose's cheek gently, not quite believing what events had just transpired.

Myles hurried over, "Give her to me." He said, stretching his hand out towards Rose. Mela looked at him for a moment, and then gingerly placed Rose in his arms.

"Gaenor was never good at weaving defences in her magic. It may be possible to undo some of the magic."

"Undo?" the Queen echoed, sounding slightly unsure, as though not quite daring to believe it, "But, you're not a mage."

Myles coughed, "Actually, that's not entirely true…" he coughed again, placed his right hand on Rose's forehead and closed his eyes. For a few minutes, nothing happened. But slowly as the Queen watched a small light began to brighten under his fingers, growing steadily brighter until it covered the entire hall in a searing white light.

After a few seconds, it died down, leaving no proof that it had ever existed, except for one or two staggering people, blinking in the darkness and trying to regain their footing.

"There. I could not undo the spell entirely, for it appears that she has grown better at weaving defences over the years. But I undid what I could. She will not die."

There was a sigh of relief as everyone listening in released a breath they had not realised that had been holding.

"But," he continued, "She will fall in to a deep slumber which can only be broken by her one true love." He cleared his throat uncomfortably before continuing, "There may be some… erm… side effects. You can just throw away magic and expect it not to do some sort of damage later on. That curse just _wondering_ around by itself… well… it would not be pretty, so, I had to force it to do something else."

Luke finally found his voice. "What sort of side effects?" he growled.

"She may retain some of the witch's magic, and possibly some of mine too. She may also develop some of her own, in time." He explained.

"Oh." Luke had a very blank look most of the time, but if you knew him, you knew that his eyes spoke volumes. And right now, they showed his relief that the side effects were not any worse. "That's it? Nothing else we should know?"

Myles chose his words carefully when he next spoke, "There is a chance that she may never wake up, if by her twentieth birthday she has not discovered who her true love is. It is a slim chance, but it is there none the less" Myles was telling a lie and he knew it. The chance was a lot more than slim, but he didn't want to make it any harder on the King and Queen. Some people went through life without ever knowing love, and only a handful of people ever found their soul mate. The odds were against Rose, but there was hope.

He looked down at Rose and smiled at the baby, still sleeping soundly in his arms, completely unfazed by the events that had just happened, a smile touching her lips. He smiled right back at her, and whispered so that none could hear, "If it is in my power, princess, I will to protect you. I promise that you will always have hope. No matter what"

* * *

Thank you to all of the people who reviewed it last time!

Okay people... Review! I really love your feedback on this story.

Thank you!


	5. The Great Escape

Hello again!

I had this chapter finished a while ago, but i took longer than expected in getting it up here, i will admit. Sorry!

Okay, so...

on with the tale!

* * *

Rose ducked down behind a bush, hugging her knees to her chest to take up less space. If her mother really thought that she was going to sit through another one of those boring dinners, listening to perspective suitors as they droned on about themselves, she had another thing coming. She moved backwards just enough to conceal herself in the leaves. She closed her eyes and mentally thanked whatever god was up there that she wasn't wearing a dress. Those poofy skirts would have been impossible to hide in. 

She peered cautiously through the leaves, taking obvious care to make sure that no one could see the movement. She looked around the garden; aware that by now, her mother would have noticed her absence and would probably have sent people out to look for her. Rose had grown so used to this happening, that by now she knew every hiding spot the castle and its grounds had to offer. She could hide so well, that no one could find her. She also knew when to move to keep from being found out. Making sure that no one was looking or coming her way, she rolled under another bush, and stealthily crawled towards the woods on the edge of the castle grounds.

Now here was the difficult bit. When the hedge ended, there was a stretch of grass that she had to cross without being seen. She checked that no one was looking, and then army-crawled across the grass at full speed towards the cover of the trees.

She leaned against the trunk of a gnarled old oak tree, hidden almost completely from view and quickly made sure that she had everything with her. She was rather accident prone, and had a habit of dropping things behind her, although admittedly it had been happening less lately. She formed a mental checklist, and went down the list, checking things off.

Bow: _check._

Arrows: _check._

Dagger: _check._

Daggers in boots: _check._

Daggers up sleeves: _check._

Sword: _che-_

She froze when she realized that her sword wasn't in its usual place at her hip. She swore inwardly at herself. Now all she would need was for some well-meaning guard to discover it behind some bush and take it to her parents before she got there. She wasn't going into that forest without that sword and she wasn't going to go back in now.

She scanned the garden for the sword, looking for a glint of silver among the foliage. There! A rather ornate hilt was poking out from under one of the bushes and it was three minutes from being either discovered or tripped over, which ever came first.

It was obviously time for desperate measures.

Closing her eyes, she reached out with her mind towards the castle, for any possible means of distraction. Then she smiled. This was _too_ easy.

On the forth floor, a maid was walking past a suit of armour. She grinned. This would be fun. Using her magic, she made the left hand rotate slightly, just enough to attract attention, and made two of the fingers twitch a little.

The maid froze.

Rose always looked for the easier way to do something, and in this case, not a lot of magic would be necessary, just a little leverage. Pressing down on one of the floorboards under the suit, she made it wobble unnoticeably which caused one of the legs to swing out towards the maid, making it look as though it was trying to walk to her.

Rose opened her eyes and listened intently. A moment later, she was rewarded with a loud crash as the maid dropped her tray on the stone floor, sending little bits of china everywhere, and an even louder shriek.

"IT'S ALIVE!!" the maid's scream echoed around the grounds and Rose felt a little sorry for her. She'd send roses to the maid as soon as she returned.

The guards in the garden, meanwhile, had looked up at the castle and gone running inside, all twenty-nine of them. Rose grinned. It always helped if you knew something extra, and in this case, it was that the suit of armour's left leg was a little loose, causing it to swing more easily.

She smiled, and then walked over to her sword, picking it off the ground and sheathing it. She then walked leisurely back to the woods, pausing slightly before re-entering the dark shadow of the canopy of trees overhead.

The queen, meanwhile, was going mad.

"Where is she? Where _is_ she? I told her, I _told_ her. I told her, didn't I? I said, 'don't be late.' I said, 'this is important.' I _said_ 'you _have _to be there.' and did she stay? Did she listen? No! This is the forth time in a _week_ that she's done this to us!" The queen ranted furiously. She paced the floor, glaring daggers at Luke as she seethed in a way only a mother could.

Luke on the other hand was reverently wishing that he had gone with Rose when he had the chance. Maybe then he wouldn't have to listen to his wife raving on like this.

"Yes, dear." Luke's lack of enthusiasm did not improve his situation very much.

She glared at him and Luke became uncomfortably aware that if looks _could _kill, then he would have been a smear on the opposite wall. He took a couple of steps backward.

"Well, I'll just go and… um… welcome our guests! Yep! That's right! I have to go and welcome our guests." He took another few steps back. The glare was not relenting!

"Yes. You go do that." She said slowly, making it very clear that in the very near future, he would pay dearly.

Just as he made a break for the door, a loud crash filled the air, followed by an ear-splitting scream.

"IT'S ALIVE!!"

He and Mela both looked at one another and the same thought hit them both at the same time.

"Rose."

Myles looked around his workshop. It was untidy in a way that made minor explosions look very orderly and organized. But it was _his. _And no matter how hard Rose pressed him to neaten it up, he refused. It was his way of defying the order to which he had shaped his life. He didn't mind that perfect order, in fact, he practically reinforced it, but he'd be damned if they made him organize the only bit of the castle that truly was his own.

He had risen up through the mages until within 5 years he had been the head. It was nice, having a position of power in the castle, but it was difficult not to let down all the people who looked up to you.

Right now, he was looking out of his window, which overlooked the grounds. He saw a slim figure roll under a bush and then crawl to the hedge. He then saw that same figure army-crawl to the forest at breakneck speed.

It was a few minutes later that he heard the crash and the scream, one floor above him.

"IT'S ALIVE!!"

He sighed and shook his head as he was that same figure trot back over to the bushes, pick up a sword, sheath it and then head back in to the gloomy forest.

Sometimes he wondered if teaching Rose how to use magic had been a little unwise. But then, how was he to know she would use it like this? He sighed and shook his head.

"Rose..."

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I hope you enjoyed that chapter! 

If you did, please review! Well, i guess if you hated it too, thats okay. I'm always open to constructive criticism.

Review!


	6. Darian

Wassap people?

Just so that you know, the answer to the trivia from a couple of chapters ago is The Hogfather. It is a really good book by Terry Pratchett, and i recommend it to anyone who reads this. :) okay! on with the tale!

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Rose deftly climbed the trunk of a tree, soundlessly reaching the top within moments. She lay down on a branch and peered intently through the leaves. Suddenly, in one swift movement, she grabbed a sturdy branch, and silently swung herself up into the next tree. The only sign of her movement was a few tell-tale leaves drifting slowly towards the moss covered earth.

Stealthily, she made her way from tree to tree, weaving expertly between branches, and eventually coming to the edge of the forest. Flattening herself along a branch, she looked downwards, watching some men who were standing beneath the tree. They appeared to be completely unaware of her existence. She closed her eyes, listening to the conversation drifting up from below her.

"He should be here by now, there's a new recruit I want to test, and, lets face it, young though he may be, he's the most skilled of all of us," said a deep voice.

Rose recognised it; it belonged to a blond sergeant, no-one knew his real name, but he was generally known as Sarge, Blondie or Sir depending on whether you were face to face with him. He was a burly man, and generally relied on his strength to win his battles for him.

"What's his name? The new recruit, I mean." This voice was a little younger than the first, and belonged to a Captain named Nalin; he had brown hair, and brown eyes to match. He was very intelligent and very artful when sparring. When fighting, he would wield these better than any weapon, which was probably why he had risen as far in such a short time.

"I'm not sure, Sir. 'Derek', I think it was Sir, Or maybe 'Damien' I'm not sure Sir," answered Blondie, his uncertainty evident in his voice, "And where is Bri, anyways? He should be here by now!"

Rose smiled, and took this opportunity to jump from her hiding place within the tree, landing just behind Captain Nalin, who froze and lightly spun round.

"You do realize that if I was the enemy, sir, you would have already been dead," she commented.

Blondie rolled his eyes. He sounded exasperated when he next spoke, "Thank you, corporal, for yet another grand entrance. Now that you've quite finished, I would like you to test the new recruit."

She nodded before saying, "Yessir, but if I may ask, why me, Sir?"

"Because I'm twice as old as you and cannot spar half as well as you can, corporal" he growled, looking her up and down slowly.

She nodded, understanding, then sighed, had they known she was their princess, they would never have let her _hold_ a sword, let alone use one. She liked being in the army, it meant she was doing something for other people instead of sitting around sewing and gossiping.

When she was eight; she had been walking through the forest, when she had happened across the training camp. They had mistaken her for a boy because of her short hair, and scruffy clothes. Some of the soldiers had started to teach her how to use some of the more common weapons. By the time she was 14, she had become extremely skilled with most weapons and they had asked her to enlist. When they had finally asked her name, she had given it as Bri, and there had been no questions asked.

Walking across the camp, she looked around for the new recruit. She peered between the tents expectantly and yet still could not find him. Seeing only familiar faces, and none one that looked out of place.

Finally she reached the barrier on the other side, there was still no sign of this recruit, she huffed in frustration. She swore that Blondie would sometime set her on these wild goose chases just to see what she would do.

She tapped some one on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, but have you seen the new-" she broke off, taking in his face, "Never mind. I take it you are the new recruit?"

He nodded.

"I suppose."

She narrowed her eyes.

"That's 'I suppose, _sir_'. Although I am only a corporal, I am still your superior and would have you address me as such. Now I have been sent to see whether you need training or not. Have you ever used a sword before, private?"

He nodded again, this time making sure to say, "Yes, sir." He looked at her and continued, "My father taught me to use one when I was smaller, sir."

"Ah. That's good." And in truth, she was glad. It would mean that she wouldn't have to teach him herself. She had very little patience with people who wouldn't listen to and of her advice, and spent more time trying to look good with the sword than actually trying to _be_ good with it.

"Do you have a sword?" she asked, already knowing the answer to be yes. you did not make it very far in the military if you were unobservant.

"Yes, sir." he said, trying to figure out what the small gleam of triumph he saw was all about.

"Good. Now, what's your name?"

"It's Darian, sir."

She turned sharply on her heals, and walked to the training section, walking behind the archers, and complimenting a few of them. She then walked briskly into a small area, completely worn of all grass and slightly secluded from the rest of the camp by trees.

She placed her bow up against a tree, and lay her quiver down beside it. Unsheathing her sword, she walked slowly towards Darian, scrutinizing his every movement. He seemed to be very familiar with the sword; his hold was perfect, and so was his stance. There had to be a weakness _somewhere_. And then she saw it. His grip was slightly off, so if you hit it from a certain direction, the sword would fall from his hand.

And there they stood, circling each other slowly, until Rose attacked. He blocked instinctively, and countered quickly, almost catching her off guard.

He was better that she had anticipated, but judging by the look on his face, so was she.

She grinned.

They continued fighting for a while. Had this been a real fight, Rose would have disarmed him a while ago, but this was a test, and she wanted to see which areas he was skilled in and which areas he would have to improve. They continued sparring, much to the amusement of many who had gathered to watch the two of them spar. Darian was sparring madly to get an advantage and Rose working just as hard to block his attacks.

Finally, Rose decided that she had learned all that she really need to know. She locked swords with him and gave her sword a slight twist, sending his sword flying, and flicked her sword up to his throat. It landed on the soft earth a few feet away. The crowd broke into applause, and began to disperse.

They both stood there, hearts thudding wildly from the exertion until Rose broke into a smile.

"You'll do."

At this comment, Darian smiled.

"Thank you, sir."

Rose waved away the comment, and said, "Don't thank me just yet. I want to show you something. There's a small flaw in your defence. It's not very big, but it's enough for someone to get behind your defences. You see your grip? Adjust it like so."

He nodded and did as she told him to.

"This may feel a little funny at first, because your not used to it, but make sure that you always hold your sword like that," she continued, "It makes it easier for you to defend yourself. Although everybody says that you're supposed to focus on killing the enemy, your no use to us dead."

He nodded again.

"Yes, sir."

She looked at him, and then sighed. "call me Bri. you're one of the few people here who could actually make me work that hard, just to beat you. Just call me 'sir' in front of every body else."

he grinned.

"very well," he said, smiling.

"Okay." She nodded and then said, "lets test out your archery skills, shall we?"

A couple of hours and a lot of arrows later, Rose noticed that it was beginning to get dark. She would have to go home soon, otherwise her parents would _really_ start to worry.

She sighed and began to put everything away, placing her arrows back in their quiver and her sword in it's sheath. Then she paused. Did she really want to go home?

She sat down on the dull ground, her back against the trunk of a tree and mentally shook herself. Although it was a very tempting idea, she couldn't stay here. She just wasn't prepared to.

She slung her bow and arrows across her back, and set out across the camp, nearly colliding with an officer as he came out of a tent. After muttering an apology, she was on her way. She took the same way back as she had there, since it was the only way to get out without being tracked. She knew she was being unnecessarily paranoid, but she wasn't tanking any chances.

Slowly, she walked just out of site from the camp, climbed up a tree, and slowly began to make her way home.

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Thank you to all who reviewed last time. I hope that you enjoyed the story!

Okay, people... you know what I'm gonna ask you. Review!


	7. Sir?

Hello people! I have to say, I got this chapter up faster than I thought I would. bows Thank you! Thank you. I'd like to thank the academy...

Anyways...

On with the story!

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Rose burst back into the great hall, hair streaming behind her, and face red from dressing herself as fast as she could manage and then running down four floors.

_Stupid formal event,_ she thought, tugging on her dress, trying to make it more comfortable. _Why women need to wear these stupid corsets, I'll never know._

She scanned the room for her parents, and found her mother talking to an elderly duchess, and her father talking to the crown prince of a neighbouring country. She started to walk to her father, as she would rather face him than her mother at the present time.

"Hello, father," she said from behind him, making him start.

"Heavens above, you really shouldn't scare me like that. One of these days I'll just keel over," he said, mock clutching his chest.

"I really do hope not." She said, grinning. She turned to the other man "Good evening, Prince Leonardo"

"And to you, Princess Rose." He said, taking her hand and kissing it.

Prince Leonardo was a tall, good-looking man with blue-green eyes and auburn hair. He was very sought after by most women, and Rose found herself giggling when ever he walked by a group of girls and one of their numbers swooned. She also had it on very good authority that their parents had been trying to match-make them from day one.

"Would you like to dance?"

_No, not particularly,_ said her brain, but self-preservation kicked in at the look her mother was giving her and it came out as: "Yes. Of course."

Gently, as though she was made of porcelain, he led her out to the dance floor. Rose was in fact, a very good dancer, but she had made up her mind to feign clumsiness. She wasn't going to make it any easier on him, and besides, it gave her a perfect excuse.

"So, have you seen the gardens yet? They are spectacular at this time of-," at this, his eyes went slightly crossed, and he let out a small whimper as she took her heal off of his foot.

"I'm so sorry!" she said, innocence oozing from her every pore. "Are you alright? I'm sorry. Yes, those stilettos are very pointy, aren't they? Don't worry; you should be fine in a few moments. You'll soon be dancing again." She helped him limp over to a chair and repressed the urge to grin. _He won't be dancing with me again._ And judging by the looks she was getting from some of the other males, they wouldn't be either.

She stiffened as she felt her mother glare at her, and she turned around to meet her gaze. Within her mother's green eyes held the promise that she would live to regret that. She quickly excused herself and walked over.

"Evening, mother."

"Evening." The queen looked tight-lipped, and Rose wondered how much longer she would manage to restrain herself. Mentally, Rose started to count down. _3, 2, 1…_ "Where have you _been?_" came the sudden, sharp question.

"Out. I was in the gardens." _To an extent…_ Rose added to herself

"Oh? And I suppose that you just 'lost track of time' _again!_"

"Actually, this time, I was fencing with a boy who believed that I was a corporal from the army, and who also believed I was a man." _The truth really is stranger than fiction._

"Uh huh." The queen sounded unconvinced. "You know, one of these days, I will find out what you're doing when you disappear. And right before a ball too!" The queen paused for a moment and then slipped into 'simple conversation' mode. "So, I saw you dancing with Prince Leonardo. He is rather handsome, isn't he?"

"Oh, yes, very much so," said Rose, spotting her mother's intentions and deciding to humour her. "I'm sure that any girl would be lucky to have him."

"It's a pity you stood on his foot. He really likes you, you know."

"Yes, mother. I know," said Rose, darkly.

"You two would be perfect together! Why not just give him a chance?" Rose cocked her head when she heard a slight tinge of desperation.

"Because he's shallow and superficial."

"Oh." He mother looked a tad disappointed.

"But there are a few other men I have my eye on!" said Rose hurriedly, trying to divert suspicion. As if any of the fancy-pants men here had caught her attention.

"That's nice dear."

"Yes. It is."

The next day, Rose went back to the training camp, taking her usual route through the trees and once again landing behind Captain Nalin.

"Ah. Hello corporal," he said without turning around. "I was just about to go look for you."

"Hello sir. What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Bri, a few weeks ago, one of the royal guard died. He was shot."

"Yessir. I heard about that, sir," she said, looking down. The shot had been meant for her, but he had thrown himself in its way.

"Really? My word, rumour travels fast. Anyway, he needs a replacement. I was told to send them the best fencer here, and let's face it, that's you. Do you want to go and work for the royal guard?"

"Not really sir."

"May I inquire as to why?"

"Because when I'm here sir, I'm defending the people, and I would rather do that than defend them." Bri had worked on that story just in case.

"You do not like the royal family?"

This question she was also ready for. "I have no problems with the royal family. It's just that I like it here. And let's face it sir, I'll probably do more here than I'll ever do in the royal guard."

He nodded. "I see. Well, I have to be frank, if you had said yes, we all would have been really sad to see you go." He gave a sad smile. "Since you're staying, however I have some rather sad news."

"What happened, sir?"

"Sergeant Weatherby is leaving us."

"Weatherby, sir?" she couldn't believe it. Bondie's name was Weatherby? No wonder he never told anyone.

"Yes. Didn't you know? That was his name. Anyway, he has decided to retire."

"But he can't be more than forty, sir!" Rose blurted. She could have sworn he was younger. "Why is he retiring so soon?"

"Apparently he wants to spend the rest of his life with what's left of his fingers and toes."

"Ah. Who will replace him, sir? We have to have a Sergeant!"

"You."

"Me, sir? But I'm-," she began, but was interrupted by the Captain.

"The best fencer here. And besides, Sarge requested it."

"He did what?"

"He requested it. And, quite frankly, I agree with him. You _are_ good."

"But, sir! I-," she struggled with the idea and gave up. "I would feel honoured, sir."

"Capital! You start tomorrow."

"I-_tomorrow?_"

"Yep!" he gave her an encouraging smile. "Good luck. Now if you excuse me, I have to go and speak to Private Darian."

And with that, he walked away, leaving Bri speechless.

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	8. Sergeant Bri

Wassap? Before we begin, I would like to thank my reviewers, for always reviewing, skatergurl95, for being an ever patient ear when it comes to this story, and my beta, Animestar73. this story would be a lot worse if not for you!

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It was past midnight. The stars shone in the night sky, and the moonlight gave a ghostly glow to all it touched. Rose looked out across the empty training field. Girl or no, she hadn't expected to make it to sergeant. She had been surprised when she had made it to corporal! But sergeant…

She sighed. Her parents had probably sent out a search party. Her best bet was probably to walk into her closet and to fall asleep, pretending to have been there all along. The royal guard were a really unintelligent bunch, and they would believe that she had been overlooked. The trick was to make it look like you _could_ be overlooked.

Sergeant Bri…

She grinned. It had a certain ring to it. A sergeant, though…

Ha! All of those sexist pigs in the royal court would _have_ to listen now! But if she was to tell them, then they would take her out of the army. It might be a better idea to wait until she was more widely known.

She looked around the camp. It might be in her best interests to get moving now. With a small jump, she grabbed on to the lowest branch on the tree above her, and swung herself up in to the tree and climbed up as far as she could go with out the tree bending. She deftly threw herself to the next tree, landing so gently that the tree barely rustled. Anyone watching would have put its small movement down to wind.

Within minutes, the castle was in sight, its tall turrets coming into sight first, and then gradually the rest of it appeared.

It was a splendid castle, but it gave the impression of being big rather than actually being big, like somebody short can fool you into thinking they're taller. On the inside though, it was very beautiful. Her mother had a thing for colours and now the castle was bright and vibrant instead of being cold and dull like it once had been. There were scarlet's everywhere, leafy greens, buttercup yellow, lavender and here and there you would see a beautiful bronze. The only place that her mother had been forbidden from ever touching again was the great hall. It was still a horrible mustard yellow, although the queen had once attempted to paint it deep red before her husband noticed. She got halfway across one wall before she was caught.

Rose got to the edge of the forest, stealthily climbed down from the tree, crawled across the grass and peered cautiously through the hedges. Just as she had suspected, her mother had doubled the number of guards outside the west entrance. She cursed. The only magic she could do now to avoid them was known only as 'the shadow walker'. She sighed. It was a very advanced piece of magic and if she failed to weave it just right, then she would drain all of her magic and collapse. Well, collapse if she was lucky.

She closed her eyes and began to weave her delicate strands of magic around herself. When she had finished, she was almost invisible. All that existed of her, was an entity almost entirely made out of shadow. If she came to a stop and stood completely still, you'd never see her.

James stood outside the palace on watch. They were told to keep an eye out for the princess, but so far, she hadn't showed up. The grounds were completely silent, except for the odd pair of guards on patrol. Sooner or later, she had to come back. As he watched the grounds, some movement caught his eye. Just across the path, something shadow-like way moving towards the entrance. It was only visible if you didn't look directly at it though, which was probably why nobody else seemed to have noticed it. It was almost invisible. And then the thing disappeared under a bush and melted into the shadows, making it completely invisible. He shook his head and muttered something about needing to go to bed. There was no way that he would come out here again at night, even if he _was_ on overtime.

The next morning, Rose crawled out of her closet, bleary eyed and yawning, and was 'surprised' when she saw two guards standing outside her room.

"What are you two doing in here?" she asked, a surprised look plastered on her face.

"We were guarding your room so that we could inform the queen when we found you. And now, if you excuse me, Your Highness, I must go and find your mother." The guard bowed and quickly exited the room.

She sat on the bed. "I really don't know what happened!" she said to the remaining guard. "I mean, I was just looking for a dress of mine inside of my closet, I got tired and I think I must have fallen asleep. I was using my cloak for a duvet and one of my dresses as a pillow when I woke up."

He nodded. "That may be why we did not find you when we searched your closet, Your Highness. Her Majesty got worried when you did not show up for dinner."

"Oh. I was just tired. I suppose I-," Rose started to say, but was interrupted by her mother, who had just come through the door.

"Where_were_ you? I was so worried!" she embraced Rose, and Rose felt a small tendril of guilt curl around her mind. "_Everything_ happened yesterday. You disappeared, we hired a new guard, one of the guests choked on an olive pip and a neighbouring country has declared war on us."

"What? Which country?"

"Palindor. Apparently, we have some land which belongs to them so they're going to attack us if we do not hand it over."

"Well? Are we going to hand it over, or risk open war?"

"I checked the archives. We've owned that land as far back as we can trace it. The Palindrian King is just trying to blackmail us. We shall stand our ground."

"I see. So we shall have to employ our army?" Rose hesitated for a moment. "Including those in the training camps?"

The queen nodded. "Your father will have to go with them as well, to lead the troops."

"Oh." She nodded. "Mother, I'm going for a walk in a few minutes. Just so that you know."

Her mother grinned, and the smile on Rose's face slowly slid off. When her mother smiled like that, that meant that she had thought up something that would make life a little more difficult for Rose.

"I want you to take a guard with you. He will stick to you, as you will stick to him, like _glue_. Understood?"

Rose nodded weakly. She would lose him among the branches of the forest later on, but he might be difficult to shake off. Her mother smiled that same mad, gleeful smile.

"Good." She turned around and called for someone just outside Rose's bedroom and then came back in, trailing the poor guard behind her. "This will be your new guard. Right! Now that that's sorted out, I'm going down to talk to your father." With a smile, and a small wave, she walked out of Rose's bedroom, her dress trailing behind her. Rose turned to the Guard and plastered a smile on her face. What ever she did, she had to act calm! She had to pretend that she didn't know him.

"Hello. I assume you already know me?" she said with a hint of a smile. "I'm afraid, I haven't heard your name yet." As if she didn't know.

He bowed gracefully and said, "My apologies, Your Highness. My name is Darian."

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Haha! I'll bet that you saw that one coming! If not, then maybe, I'm getting better at this element of surprise thing after all. Lol. Please review, people! I love hearing what you think! And, as Thai Libra will tell you, I answer them back personally. Or at least, I try to.

So…

Please review! i will give you Cyber-Cookies if you do!


	9. Unexpected Announcements

Hello! I know what you're thinking, and the answer is 'no, I'm not dead.'

I have finally updated this, after, I think, 6 months, so I'm rather proud. Not of the time it took, but of the fact that I updated.

Anyhow, I will cease with the catter and say, 'on with the tale!'.

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She kept her smile natural as she said, "nice to meet you, Darian

She kept her smile natural as she said, "nice to meet you, Darian."

His smile remained, and she subtly watched his body language. He didn't seem to be lying, or forcing his smile, so as far as she could tell, he hadn't managed to figure out who she was.

"Apparently, I'm supposed to say with you, your highness. So what do you say we take a walk in the garden?"

"Certainly. I would be glad to." She paused as a thought occurred to her. "As my body guard, your job is merely to guard me, not to keep me company."

His smile once again lit up his face. "Aye. That I know your highness. But I would rather get to know the person I'm guarding and I'm sure that you would rather talk to me than be shadowed by me for the entire day."

She laughed and nodded in agreement, and took his proffered arm. This couldn't get too bad, could it?

Two hours later, she learned just how bad it was. Her first day as sergeant, and she was going to be late! She had tried numerous times to get away from him, but, true to his word, he stuck to her like glue. She loved his conversation, and he wasn't very stuck up, but she really needed to go before Nalin decided to go after her head. Nalin would be sure to recognize her, dress or no.

Finally, at her wits end, she quickly dove into a bathroom, knowing that he wouldn't follow her in there, climbed out of the back window and hid her dress in a nearby bush. She felt bad about ditching him, but she couldn't take it any longer.

She had just hidden the dress when a red faced Darian came around the corner.

"bri!"

He ran over to her, looking relieved. For a moment, Bri panicked – did he know who she was? Then something told her that he had called her Bri, and therefore hadn't recognized her yet.

"yes?"

"have you seen a girl – maybe 14, 15, with brown hair and green eyes? She's around your height and was wearing a pink dress."

"oh dear. Lost her already, have you?"

"yes I – what do you mean?"

"You've lost the princess already? She has a talent for disappearing. Trust me – if she doesn't want to be found, you'll never find her."

"Ah. Have you met her?"

"Yes. Once." And every day since, she added to herself. "But trust me. She hides in plain sight. You'll never find her. Not for a couple of hours anyways."

Darian nodded. "She was a nice girl, you know? I felt like I could be myself around her." Darian couldn't believe that he was disclosing this information to Bri – a boy he had met two days ago – but it seemed that Bri made him feel as comfortable as Princess Rose had. "And now, I've lost her. If the queen finds out, I'll never work again."

"No. she may be more understanding than you might think. She's tried to have Rose followed a few times now, but Rose always gets away. She sent some spies and they lost her a few paces from the castle. She is very good."

"Oh." Darian looked very sad. "It's my first day on the job, and I've already lost track of her? I'm not too sure how the rest of my career will fan out now."

"If it helps, I'm a half hour late on my first day as sergeant. The captain's gonna skin me alive. Tell you what, though. You come with me, as moral support, and I'll help you look for her. She'll turn up in a couple of hours, though. She always does."

Darian nodded. "Okay. What are you supposed to do as sergeant, anyways?"

"I'm still training them. I just have more authority!"

They began to walk towards the training grounds in comfortable silence.

After a while, Darian spoke up something that had been bothering him for a while.

"Why did she disappear? Where does she have to be that I can't follow her?"

Bri laughed. "I'm sure she has her reasons. Why? D'ya like her?" she said teasingly.

"I… I… no! Maybe. She's very pretty, and intelligent. So different from all the other girls I know. And when I talk to her, I get the feeling that all I'm seeing is all she's letting me see. It's frustrating, but intriguing at the same time. I - " he broke off, biting his lip. He looked as though he's said more than he wanted too, thought Bri to herself.

"Don't worry so much, though. You're not the first one that's lost the princess." Bri leaned closer. "I hear that the queen sent some of her _Invisibles_ out after her once."

"Invisibles? I thought they were a myth?"

"No. they're not. But she still shook them off."

"What, _Invisibles_? The trained battle mages? The ones who make ninjas sound like a brass band?"

"Yep! And they only held on to her for a moment before they lost track of her."

"Wow."

Bri noticed that although Darian didn't say anything after that, he brightened up considerably.

They walked onwards for a little while, through the trees and Bri strained herself to see the familiar white tents in the distance.

She counted down slowly to herself, having memorized the camp and surrounding area. They should be appearing about…now, she thought to herself as the first white peak became visible beyond the dense foliage.

Darian looked at her. "You know," he began, "When I was smaller I would always see those tents and want to be a soldier."

"Now you're in the royal guard. That's not quite being a soldier."

"No, but it's close." He smiled again "I hear you've been made sergeant. Your fist day on the job and war breaks out. I have to say, I don't envy you."

Bri made a face. "Me neither. And I _am_ me."

They stepped into the clearing and Bri looked around for the Captain, spotting him over by some new recruits. This was a recruitment and training camp, after all. Almost _everybody_ was new.

Nalin spotted her to, and motioned for her to come over.

"Where have you been?" he demanded. "Ever since the war broke out it's been hectic. Everyone wants a little piece of glory. We've had fourteen new recruits in the last hour!"

"I'm sorry, Sir, it was rather difficult for me to-"

"I don't want to hear excuses, sergeant. Just get me every man in charge in this camp within the next quarter-hour! Now!"

"yes, sir." Nalin was a nice guy, but it wasn't a good idea to get on his bad side if he was angry.

There were only twenty or thirty men to fetch, but it still gave Bri a job and a half when she went to go and fetch them.

They lined up in a small line, and Nalin stood in front.

"Right! Over the past few days, I've been hearing some disturbing rumors. I know that there's no truth to these rumors, because if there was, I know my men would tell me." He eyed them, one by one. "These rumors pertain to there being a _girl_ of all things among our ranks. I haven't seen any girls among my ranks, but I want to know if there is! So! If _any_ of you hear _anything_ at all, I want to be told, immediately! So be on the look out, and take care. That's all. Diismissed!

Bri froze. He had said the last few sentences while looking at her.

_He knows_.

She waited until the rest of the men had cleared out of the area and then Bri stepped forward to Nalin nervously.

"Sir, I-"

"Don't."

"What?

Nalin looked tired when he next spoke. "If your about to say what I think you're about to say, don't I want to be able to deny you telling me anything if anyone comes after you. I will keep it secret, but only because you're a better swordsman than half the men in this camp. That, and the fact that I would like to believe we're friends. Breathe a word about me being nice to the others and I will and you upside down from a tree by your ankles."

She grinned. Nalin hated for anyone to know that under his cynical and strict exterior he was actually rather nice.

"Thank you, Sir." She said, gratitude evident in her voice. "Where should I start in the camp?"

"With the new recruits, of course. Where you always start. Oh, and Bri?" he added as she turned to go.

"Yes, Sir?"

"Don't think that just because of this I'll go easier on you."

"I would never presume it, Sir."

* * *

HAHA!

How was that? Rather predictable, I thought, but it could have gone worse.

Anyways, as always, If you read, then REVIEW!


	10. Removing the Veil

heya!

So, this may come as a bit of a suprise to those 3 people that are still reading this story, but I ain't dead! I swear. I've actually still been writing the story as of about 6 months ago, but it didn't occur to me to upload.

So, if you guys are wondering why the writing style changes so drastically, you now know :P

This chapter was un-beta'd, so please be gentle :D

**Chapter 10**

Bri knew something was wrong the moment she stepped in the castle. The instincts she had spent years honing were going insane, telling her that what lay ahead, she may not like.

She found her parents in their favourite room in the castle, the music room. Her mother was playing the piano, something she only did when she was feeling under a great deal of pressure, and her father was staring at the pattern on the rug hard enough that Bri actually feared that he might set it on fire.

Her mother looked up, finished the melody, closed the piano lid and motioned for her to sit down.

"Rose, dear," She said quietly, sitting next to rose and her father, "What we're about to tell you we've wanted to tell you for a long time. Understand that, please. But we feel that the time is right for you to know."

"Know what?"

"Everything."

A sense of foreboding washed over Rose once more and she swallowed.

"Tell me."

And they did. About how in a desperate bid for children, they had turned to a witch of black magic. About how in a fit of rage, Bri had been cursed. About how it could be broken. They had tried to sound as though there was hope, but Rose knew the odds, and wasn't about to delude herself.

At the end of the tale, her mother looked at rose with pleading eyes, begging her to understand, to not be angry.

She stood up, concealing the rage within her. She didn't mind the curse, but they had kept her from _living_. She had to sneak out to do the thing she wanted most. She had always stayed before, because she didn't want to go against her Mother and Father, didn't want to hurt them. Now, she was going to _live_.

She only had a short time on this world left, and she'd be damned if she was going to spend it looking for some man who probably didn't even exist.

"Mother, I require some time to think. Don't come looking for me, you won't find me. I won't be back for some time."

"Where are you going?"

"The future, Father. To my future."

She went up to her room and packed everything. All of her weapons, her uniform, her 'other' clothing. She wasn't going to be back for a while.

When sergeant Bri strode into the camp that day, although he didn't look visibly different, all of the men noticed something different. He looked _free_.

They watched him walk up to Captain Nalin, and have a few quiet words. They saw Nalin's concerned face ask something and give Bri a reassuring smile, who then returned it and nodded.

"You'll be alright, then?"

Bri nodded. She had told Nalin that she could finally stay at the camp, and would no longer have to ferry herself between places. Although he would never admit it, he did worry about the girl he had come to know as Bri and would do nearly anything to help her.

"Good." His face suddenly snapped back into it's normal seriousness and he added sharply, "Can't have you moping around doing nothing. You know what to do, Seargent! Get to it!"

She snapped a salute. "Yessir!"

Then, although his face never changed, it suddenly seemed to Bri as if he was smiling. "And we'll see about finding you a place to sleep."

"Thank you, Sir."

And so Bri closed one book and opened the first page of a brand new life. She adjusted quickly to living in a camp and within a few days had already found herself quite at home with this new way of living. She became more used to calling herself 'Bri', and in fact nearly didn't recognize her own name when she heard it.

It was a warm late-summer afternoon, and Bri was just wrapping up fencing practice with some of the less-experienced recruits (or 'those hopeless idiots' as Nalin insisted on calling them) when Darian emerged from under the green canopy.

She grinned before composing herself. "I haven't seen you around for a while, Private."

"No, sir. I've been busy with my duties up at the palace."

"Well, it's good to have you back." She gave him a tight smile, and then watched the last of 'those hopeless idiots' walk back towards the tents.

"So, how's about we spar, Bri?" He gave her a grin. "I may have been busy, but I couldn't help it. I'm here now, so I want to see if I can finally best you."

She snorted. "Not bloody likely! It's been a while since I've been beaten."

"I can take you." He stated, smugly. She looked at the slightly familiar stance he had taken up just standing casually, and then wondered how long Myles and he had known each other.

"Myles taught you?" They began to walk towards the fencing ground.

"You know Myles?"

"He and I have...met." H_e was my mentor for most of my life,_ she wanted to say, but didn't think it would be such a bright idea.

"He defended me after Princess Rose went missing. He said that she was a free spirit, and that we'd never find her if she didn't want us to." He suddenly smiled, as if his next sentence was the silliest thing in the world. "He said we'd probably find her on some battle ground somewhere, using warding magic in secret and fencing young men. He said that she always excelled in warding and defensive magics, among other things"

_Among other things._ Well, it was kinder than calling it 'Dark Magic'. It was yet another side effect of her past. "Did he?"

"Oh yes! I don't think he knows her though. Free spirit, yes, but she doesn't seem to want to fight."

..._Oh how little you know..._ "Well, you know those free spirits, eh? Never quite sure of what they want..."

"I don't know, I've never met someone so sure in my life. I wonder what she's doing now..."

"Probably erecting defence wards, and sparring with young men." she smiled wryly.

He started laughing, and she found herself joining in.

"I'd like to see that!"

_And there, Ladies and Gentlemen, is conclusive proof that truth is much stranger than fiction._


	11. Portrait, sir?

heya!

So I'm back! And with another chapter! I'm so very very proud of myself. And I'm more than slightly determined to actually get somewhere with this story before I give up again. :P

Anyways, once again, I'm without a beta. Please be nice, but please point out any spelling, grammar or continuity errors. That means I can go back and fix them! I'm hoping that my writing is getting better as I go along, and I'm actually beginning to develop the amazing ability of spell-checking my own work! (gasp!)

Enjoy!

**Chapter 11**

Bri looked at the letter in her hand, unsure how to react.

"I'm being sent to war?"

Nalin puffed up his chest, proud of his Sergeant and obviously not noticing the lack of 'Sir'. "Yes! Although, that's not the point of the letter, if you look. The king is very pleased with your work! He wants to meet you, and he says that he's very impressed with some of the men you've been training. Although he did say that they tended to be a bit more sarcastic than the majority."

"My... King wants to see me?" _Close call there, Bri. Now try to say 'King', instead of 'my Father'._

"Yes! He said that he's heard nothing but good, that he'd be honoured to fight along side you, and that you might be the leader he needs." he looked at the slightly panicked look on Bri's face. "Although, if you want me to make an excuse for you I can. I take it that your panicked look either has something to do with the royal family, or the bit about yourself that I won't let you tell me?"

"A bit of both, Sir."

"If it's any consolation, I would be going too. He wants the best fighters at his side."

She nodded. "That seems to be fine, Sir. I'm rather glad, Sir."

He gave her a warm smile. "Capital! I'll send the letter back that we would both be honoured."

"Yessir!_"  
_

"And I will have an audience with him tomorrow, so I probably won't need to write one anyhow. He mentioned something about me heading an intelligence unit. 'Bout time someone noticed that they had a big pile of intelligence, just sitting here."

"I'll just go and tell them that they have the wrong person, shall I, Sir?"

"Haha. Very droll."

Luke paced back and forth in front of his fireplace. He used to one of the least easily frustrated in the castle, but since Rose had walked off a month ago, his nerves had become more set on edge.

A butler that Luke had nicknamed 'nostril' (the man's nose was so high in the air, that's all you ever saw) quietly coughed and announced the arrival of one Jai Nalin, a captain in the army and as sneaky a man as I ever saw, Sir, if you want my opinion_.  
_

_Not really,_ Luke thought, though he smile graciously. "Of course I always value your opinion! Please show him in."

Luke continued pacing back and forth, while he waited for Nostril to come back with Captain Nalin. He looked at the spiny vines picked out on the rug, and as usually his mind began to focus on Rose. They'd hung one of her portraits in this room, so it was difficult not to focus on her, though this time he was remembering the story behind the rug .

She'd been three when they'd picked out this carpet and had hated it to the extent that she had tried to set alight to it when she was six. They'd caught her, luckily enough, just before the flames got going, but very few people knew that there was a scorched patch of carpet and floor just underneath one of the rugs. This was the part they hadn't managed to get to.

With a small shake of his head, he brought himself to the present, trying to ignore the guilty feelings that came with it. Had they been sheltering her? Had they been so concerned in their quest to stop her from dying that they had forgotten to let her live? Luke now looked hollowed out compared to the jubilant man he had been not a month ago. It was almost as though someone had scooped out his insides, and there was an ache where they were missing.

But she was happy now, wasn't she? She was probably out giving some poor people hell and having the time of her life. She hadn't come back, that's all he knew, but if she hadn't come back she was probably happy. She should have this little bit of happiness before she-

He cut himself off before he could finish the thought, though he continued to curse himself for his own past actions. He forced himself to sit and wait until Nostril came back with Captain Nalin a few minutes later.

Nalin nodded in respect. "Your Highness."

_Not really feeling all that high today, though…_ "Captain! It's so good to see you again! Please, sit." He motioned towards one of the overstuffed chairs, and Nalin sat down.

"Captain, I suppose you're wondering why I called you here. The answer is simple: I want you and your Sergent, of whom I have heard nothing but good, to lead a team of specially trained men."

"Sire, this is beginning to sound like the Invisibles." Nalin was a tad hesitant – The Invisibles had built themselves up a reputation to be quite ruthless and he wasn't sure if he wanted to be a part of that.

"Something like that, though you'd be the nicer guys. They're more spies and assassins, while you'd be more the elite squad of fighters, whom we'd send in if the going got difficult. You'd be the people we'd send into battle near the end, to help tip the scale, and we might even use you for a few peace missions."

"Any mages on the squad, Sire?"

"One or two, though I'm not certain. Forgive me for asking, but where is Sergeant Bri?"

_So even the King calls him Bri… I wonder what he's running from if he's keeping his last name such a well-kept secret_. "He was called to help with a mission. He's one of our best, you understand, so we really need all the help we can get from him." Nalin was also proud of himself that he wasn't telling a complete lie; He'd sent Bri on a mission to collect some supplies for the camp. Admittedly the mission wasn't of the utmost importance, but he valued Bri as a friend, and if this would help him keep his secret then Nalin was all in. Even if it meant lying to the King.

Nalin wondered again what his friend was running from. He hoped his trust was well placed.

"Well, duty calls, does it not? I'm certain that Sergeant Bri is helping out where ever he is."

"Yes, Sire. Me too."

The two men fell into a silence, broken only by Nostril coming in with Tea. Nalin looked around the room, noticing the points where a charred patch of carpet was being hidden with furniture, looking at a few of the various portraits and admiring some of the glasswork on the chandelier.

"Pardon me, Sire, but who's is that portrait on the far left? I'm afraid I don't recognize it. She looks rather familiar, though." _A little too familiar…_

"That's my daughter." Nalin's eyes widened. _Briar Rose…_ "It was painted a year ago, so it's a little out of date. I… Captain! Are you well? You've lost all colour."

"Oh yes, Sire. There was a personal matter which has been niggling at the back of my mind, and it just came back up. Don't worry, though. It'll sort itself out soon enough, Sire."

"I do hope so, Captain! And I wish you all the best of luck in the future. You'll meet the group either tomorrow or the day after. You'd best be on your toes; they _are_ a sharp bunch!"

"I will, sire, I don't doubt their abilities or intellect. Now, if you'll excuse me sire, I've something that I must attend to."

"That personal problem, eh? Don't worry, it'll work out between you and her." At the wide-eyed look on Nalin's face, the king explained, "It's obviously a girl problem from the way you're holding yourself."

"Actually sir, it's-"

"What's she like?"

Nalin thought of Bri, and all the things he knew about her. Then he decided that he'd just go with honesty – it was the best policy in most situations, except when dealing with officers.

"She's the most infuriating creature I've ever met. She never fails to find a new way to get under my skin, to cause me some new problem or distraction in my life and she never sees that she does it! There's so much that she doesn't tell me, and so much that I want to know! And yet, she's almost… magnetic. I keep coming back, and I can never figure out why. She surely causes me more problems that she cures, though it doesn't matter to me."

At this point, Nalin decided that a bit of creativity was in order. Truth will only get you so far. "She's not beautiful, though I could care less because she's beautiful to _me_, but she doesn't see it! She's convinced herself that she's _common_, when _nothing_ could be further form the truth…" He looked up at Luke and grinned. "And you can see how much she's affecting me, Sire…"

"Yes, though I've been through that, so I can also empathize. Just watch that she doesn't affect you too much. Emotions of the heart can be dangerous…"

"Sergeant Bri? Sergeant Bri!" Nalin stood outside on of Bri's lessons, watching as he artfully wove (Nalin hadn't let himself use the female pronoun yet, for fear it would leak into his speech) an attack without the other opponent realizing it. He almost wanted to watch an artist at work, but some matters required quick dealings-with.

"Yessir!"

"Come with me, please."

Nalin led them into his tent and shut them in.

"I came back from a meeting with the king, not twenty minutes ago. The only reason I did not call you sooner was because I wished to get changed. Some matters are of the upmost importance, you see? But first things first." He knew he was rambling slightly, but continued anyway. "He does indeed want us to lead an intelligence group. The team will consist of the elite ones, the ones who excel in their field. So yes, there will be a couple of mages, but they will be trained battle mages, and yes, we will be leading them. I know, usually mages don't go for orders, but apparently he's found a couple that do. Very useful for us, I think."

"Will I be your second in command, or would you like me to be a part of the group, sir?

"A bit of both would be preferable, but I think I would rather you be a part of the group unless I am unavailable. It makes things easier."

"Thank you, sir."

"Don't thank me until you've heard the next bit – we were in one of the rooms they use to receive guests, it had some scorched carpeting in the corner. Rather nice, other than that. But the carpet is unimportant. What I wanted to mention here, was the portrait."

_Damn._ "Portrait, sir?"

Nalin's voice dropped down to an urgent whisper. "Yes. Of one, rather familiar looking, Briar Rose, whom her parents are currently searching for. I know I asked you not to tell me, but I do rather think that you should have taken this into account. I mean, _Bri_? A less subtle name might have helped a bit, by the way." He added and then continued with his whispered rant. "It explains quite a bit about you, yes, but I thought that the only elephant you were hiding was your gender! I didn't know that you'd found room to hide a whole damn zoo, as well!"

"I'm sorry, sir, I didn't-"

"Didn't you think that I might want to know? Didn't you think that it might be rather important to tell me?"

"Would you have still let me fight?"

He calmed down a bit as he considered this. "No. I wouldn't have. But I respect you, Bri, even if you'd kept a few things from me, I still think of you as a friend. I'll let you stay because I trust your judgement, and because you're one of the best swordsmen that I currently have, even if the term 'swordsman' might not be accurate."

"Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome. And, Bri? You'll have to tell me about some of the details, now. This new discovery has brought to light some pretty interesting questions" He gave a half-smile, which Bri had grown to interpret as mischievous.

"Of course, sir."

"And, since we seem to be doing away with secrets and titles, call me Nalin or Jai. All my friends tend to call me Nalin, but the choice is up to you entirely. And I do rather value you as a friend, Bri." He turned to a map, spread out on a wooden desk in the corner of the large tent. Then, he turned back. "But if we are in front of those hopeless idiots, call me Sir or Captain, is that understood?"

"Of course! I do have some common sense, you know…"

"Good. Just checking."


	12. The TruthSeer and the Spy

Hello again! See? I said I would update eventually :D

You guys know the drill - read it through and tell me what you think of it. Please mention any spelling/grammar errors! My brain seems to be able to ignore those right up until _after_ I've uploaded the chapter... :D

Right! And now, to the adoring public, I present the 12th chapter in this saga, Briar Rose.

*dramatic music*

* * *

Darian wondered haphazardly around the castle. Things had become so _boring_ as of late – it seemed that everything was about planning this war that had just started. Apparently the fight had yet to spread, it being in some secluded areas along the border lines of both of the countries, but every one had begun to think about some of the affects of this war.

He'd seen countless children start to look at him as if he was some sort of hero, and he wondered how many glorified stories he'd hear about his job before the year was through. It seemed that now every little boy wanted to grow up to be a soldier, and some of the little girls as well. Well, only one little girl that he'd met, and she'd been six, far too young to join up.

He remembered the first time he'd run in to her, a couple of months after he'd begun to learn to live in this strange new country. He'd been looking for work, and one day, after giving up in despair and sitting heavily on his arse in a darkened ally, she'd come skipping along.

"'Scuse me, mister. Why are you sitting there in the mud? You'll get your coat dirty," she had said and then she had grinned and offered him a hand. "The name's Elena, mister. Want a hand up?"

"Sure." He smiled at the memory of her helping him up. She came up to his belly button on most days (days when she hadn't found a box to stand on), so her helping him up had helped him in some way. Her innocence and youthful strength had given him a bit more determination.

At that point, he'd been adopted by her family, in a strange kind of way. They'd looked out for him until he found a job of sorts and still kept in touch to see how he was. He'd never forgotten her, though.

She'd told him that she wanted to be a knight, and he could see that she had the spirit, but he'd had to tell her the only problem: she was a girl.

He'd felt so bad afterwards, watching her face slowly fall, that he'd told her that he was sure that wasn't going to be a problem. She'd be the first one, and she'd show them all!

She reminded him of Seargent Bri, in a round about sort of way. Perhaps it was the way she stood when she hadn't found something new to do, or the face she pulled when he annoyed her… Something, he just couldn't figure out what.

And, within the month that he'd spent with her and her family, he'd worked out that he was going to find some way to help her become a knight and he knew just the man to do it.

Bri looked around the camp again. She was going to meet the rest of her squad today, and a part of her was a little nervous. Okay, more than a little nervous. But she'd been hand picked, so she had as much right as any of them to be there. She heard a rustling from above and stepped to one side, just in time to avoid being fallen on.

"Damn, I never get that right…" The stranger brushed himself off and continued muttering to himself about how some of the spatial and temporal factors might be off.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Bri was genuinely confused by the stranger in brightly coloured clothing.

"Call me Digs. Everyone does. Hell, even _I've _forgotten me own name! And I think that I'm also entitled to a question: who are _you_?"

"Sergeant Bri, Acting Sergeant for this camp."

"Really?" Digs stepped forward and examined Bri closely, his nose level with Bri's. "Hmm, how interesting. But then I've heard all sorts of wonderful things about you, so that's alright."

Bri took a couple of hurried steps back, trying to regain some personal space, but Digs followed with a hand out.

"Digs, Mage Digs! I specialize in Minor Magics and Vier."

Bri remembered Vier from her studies – it was the ancient magic of seeing. And by seeing, it was seeing _everything_. The few who mastered it had to be slightly mad; otherwise the knowledge would drive you insane. Very few of the masters would use it unless they had good reason too. She wondered how much he already knew.

"Oh you're one of the mages! You're the first to arrive. I have to admit, I was expecting you all to arrive as a group." Bri gave him a sheepish grin, hoping that it might throw him off slightly.

"Well, we were, but it got a little difficult so we all just gave up on that." He leaned forward and waggled his eyebrows conspiratorially. Then he leaned forward again, until his nose was almost touching hers. She felt a little like a sheep being sold: inspected all over. She half expected him to open her mouth and check her teeth!

"You're not at _all_ what I was expecting, you know." He looked her up and down then began to walk around her in a tight circle, examining her completely

"Really? I have been told that before, Digs." She smiled at him, trying to hide some of the mild panic.

"Never quite as accurately as me, though." He stopped circling her suddenly, coming to a standstill a few inches from her nose again. "Don't worry, your secrets are safe. I don't use my magic unless I have to, though I have grown rather apt at reading people."

"Umm..." Bri was at loss. Her brain screamed at her to distract him somehow, anything to get this mad boy more than 3 inches from her nose! "Well, come with me! I'll introduce you to the captain."

He grinned his mischievous little grin at her again, and followed her to the officer's mess.

As the day went on, another member of the group appeared around the camp. One had made himself known in the evening after fencing practice.

"Excuse me, m'am?"

She looked up at the upper class accent, unexpected from the face of a recruit. Normally the nobs joined up as one of the officers and had their families pulling strings from behind the ranks.

"Can I help you private…?"

"Johnson. Grant K. M. Johnson. And I am to take it you are _the_ Sergeant Bri?"

"I wouldn't know about _the_, but in this camp I am the only," she answered with a wry smile, wondering where this was going.

"Ah. Good. I've been watching, and from what I've seen, you're rather well-versed in your knowledge of the sword."

She looked at the young man standing before her, wondering where this was going. He seemed to have something else he wished to say, but was waiting for the right time to speak.

"Thank you. I'm glad you think I'm good."

"So am I. If I hadn't thought you satisfactory with a sword, you see, I would have had you thrown from our group. Well, unless you had another skill to dazzle us with, but I was under the distinct impression that you were a swordsman."

Ah. Now she knew him, or at least his type. Young, from a family with money, and under the impression that he was entitled to everything. She hoped that his personality softened as you got to know him; she didn't want to be responsible for his death on what ever mission they were being forced to go on.

"You're the second to arrive. I believe the other is somewhere through those trees if you want to introduce yourself. If not, there is tea in the officer's tent."

He gave a succinct nod and strode off in the direction of Digs.

She watched him leave, trying to work out why he was here. Archery? Nalin had mentioned an archer, she was sure. She looked at his stance, and walk. Na, he was too centered to be an archer – they tended to favour one foot more than the other. He watched everyone, that was certain, and he also seemed to have a small amount of intelligence behind his eyes. He was good at blending in, and she found herself trying to match memories of this morning to the new memory she had of him.

She remembered a tall, shy, young man with uncertain footing and a knack for saying the wrong thing. The face she remembered said they were the same person, but she knew that if she had not been looking for him, she would swear that the person she just met and the boy from this morning were totally different people.

If he could do that so easily, some sort of spy, perhaps? It would make sense. He walked with his guard up, she could see, even if he made it somewhat difficult to notice.

She grinned. The truth-seer and the spy. What an interesting combination to have alone behind the trees. That left the archer, the cartographer, the linguist, the diplomat, the battle and weather mages and the healer. 11 people wasn't such a large number for a party such as they. If anything, the smaller number would allow them more familiarity and an ease of movement and stealth.

She heard a short yell of fury from behind the trees. She'd probably have to check if they were both alive in a short while, but she'd wait for it to cool down first.


End file.
